An incredible Hadith narration from our Prophet (peace be upon him) about a nun in Abyssinia:…

An incredible Hadith narration from our Prophet (peace be upon him) about a nun in Abyssinia:

Jabir Ibn Abdullah (ra) narrates:

“When those who had crossed the sea (migrating to Abyssinia) came back to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), he said: ‘Why don’t you tell me of the wonders that you saw in the land of Abyssinia?’ Some young men among them said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah. While we were sitting, one of their elderly nuns came past, carrying a vessel of water on her head. She passed by some of their youth, one of whom placed his hand between her shoulders and shoved her. She fell on her knees and her vessel of water broke. When she stood up, she turned to him and said: “You will come to know, oh foolish young man, that when Allah sets up his footstool on the Day of Judgement, and gathers the first and the last of His creation, and hands and feet speak of what they used to do, you will come to know of your situation and my situation.’” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: ‘She spoke the truth, she spoke the truth! How can Allah honor a people that don’t protect their vulnerable ones from their tyrants?!” (Ibn Majah)

When we fail to stand up for our oppressed and weak ones, Allah’s mercy is lifted from us. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Be merciful to those on earth, and the One in the heavens will be merciful to you.” Notice that the Prophet (peace be upon him) didn’t solely place the blame on the young man, but on the culture that cultivated his bad manners and allowed for that woman to be treated that way. Do not oppress, or tolerate oppression.